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Important Information

Required Training – the CITI Course in The Protection of Human Research Subjects

This training must be completed by all faculty/staff members submitting a application to the IRB, or who are supervising students submitting an IRB application, and by all students submitting an IRB application.


Continuous Enrollment Requirement

Students must maintain continuous enrollment from the time they advance to candidacy (upon successful defense of the dissertation proposal) until the defense of their dissertation. Students must register for at least three credit hours every semester, with the exception of summer semesters when the one credit dissertation course is allowed or at other times when the student has obtained permission for one credit dissertation, until their dissertation is approved. Students should also be enrolled in dissertation hours if they are receiving supervision from the dissertation chair while preparing the dissertation proposal.  Students must complete a minimum of 12 semester hours of dissertation research and writing credit.

99 Hour Rule

In accordance with Texas Education Code, Section 54.066, the university will incur a penalty once a doctoral student accumulates 100 or more doctoral semester credit hours. In response, the Texas State University System has a new tuition structure (excessive hours fee) in which a doctoral student will be charged tuition at a rate equivalent to nonresident tuition for all doctoral semester credit hours exceeding 99. Courses taken by a doctoral student at the master’s or undergraduate level will not count towards the 99 hours. If the student is admitted to a doctoral program from the bachelor’s degree, the count begins after 30 hours of graduate coursework. This tuition structure applies to Texas residents as well as out-of-state residents and international students who were eligible to be charged tuition at the resident rate as a result of scholarship and fellowship awards or employment as Graduate Assistants. Students should contact the Ph.D. program director regarding appeals.

Approval of Outside Committee Members of the Dissertation Committee

The appointment of any person who is not a member of the doctoral faculty in the College of Education to a Ph.D. Dissertation Committee requires the formal approval of the program director, the College Dean, and the Dean of the Graduate College.

A proposed committee member who is a member of the faculty in a department outside the College of Education at Texas State University must hold a doctoral degree or terminal degree, must be a member of the Graduate Faculty at Texas State University, and must hold, as a minimum, professional credentials equivalent to those expected of members of the Ph.D. Faculty in the College of Education. Such faculty must be recommended for a “courtesy appointment” to serve as a member of the doctoral committee. Before asking the proposed outside committee member to serve on the student's committee, the student and his or her Dissertation Advisor must consult with the program director concerning the suitability of the appointment. The student should obtain a copy of the prospective member's curriculum vita in order to ensure that the prospective member holds professional credentials equivalent to those expected of members of the Ph.D. Faculty in the College of Education. The vita should be submitted to the program director for consideration by the Teaching Faculty Committee. If recommended, a nomination form will be forwarded by the program director to the Dept. Chair, COE Dean, and Graduate College.

A proposed committee member who is not a member of the faculty at Texas State University must hold a doctoral degree or a terminal degree and must hold, as a minimum, professional credentials equivalent to those expected of members of the Ph.D. Faculty in the College of Education at Texas State University. Such faculty must be recommended for an appointment as adjunct doctoral faculty. Before asking the proposed outside committee member to serve on the student's committee, the student and his or her Dissertation Advisor should consult with the program director concerning the suitability of the appointment. The student should obtain a copy of the prospective member's curriculum vitae in order to ensure that the prospective member holds professional credentials equivalent to those expected of members of the Ph.D. Faculty in the College of Education. The vita should be submitted to the program director for consideration by the Teaching Faculty Committee. If recommended, a nomination form will be forwarded by the program director to the Dept. Chair, to the COE Dean, and then to the Graduate College Dean. The University cannot assume responsibility for expenses incurred by the outside committee member associated with service on the committee. So, prospective adjunct Committee members will be asked to supply written statements indicating that they understand they will not be compensated for committee service.